But Not Forgotten
by Kris6
Summary: *Gasp* It's finished
1. Coming Home

...But Not Forgotten

Disclaimer: Wish I owned them, but I don't.

Summary: Sequel to 'Forgiven'. Six years from where it left off(2007), Jessie comes home for Christmas. Guess who else will be there. 

Rating: PG-13 at the most. Nothing obscene or perverted, I promise.

Pairing: Who do you think?

Spoilers: After season 2 on the show and after my last story.

A/N: This takes place December. Jessie(21) and Katie(23) haven't spoken since that day in Katie's room.

**__**

New York- Early Morning, Sunday December 22:

"It is impossible for me to be in the same room with you and not want to touch you. I don't want to have to deal with that for the rest of my life," Katie said.

"You're going to have to because I can never tell anyone! Nobody can ever know!" Jessie screams through her tears, not realizing what she just said.

"You know what? I don't have to put up with anything," Katie said, tears threatening to spill out. "Get out. Just go," she said in a low, dangerous growl.

Jessie stood there a moment, trying to control her sobs. "Okay," she choked out when she felt that she was able to trust her voice again. She quickly exited the room, hiding her tears.

A scream pierces the air as Jessie shoots up in bed. She is drenched in a cold sweat, gasping for air and trembling. It was the dream again. The same one that has haunted her for the last six years.

"Are you okay?" A soft, concerned voice mumbles from a place next to Jessie on the bed. There is no response. "Jess?" They ask.

She clears her throat. "Yeah. Just a nightmare," Jessie says groggily. She glances at the clock on the nightstand. "I have to go," she mumbles as she rolls out of bed.

"Call me?" The other person asks hopefully.

Jessie chooses to ignore the girl's tone. "Bye Rach," she says before making her exit. Rachel just sighs as she rolls over.

Jessie uncoordinatedly stumbles to her door, fumbling for her keys. She unlocks the door and slumps in, already slipping her shoes off before she's even inside. Slowly, she drags her increasingly tired ass to her bed and plops down without taking the time to change out of her jeans.

She sighs and closes her eyes tightly, holding back tears. A few tears escape as she's laying flaked out on her bed. Eventually, her eyes droop closed as she drifts into a dreamless sleep.

Her sleep is interrupted by the head splitting rings of her phone. Jessie grunts as her arm flies over to put an end to the wretched noise. She clumsily picks up the receiver and brings it to her ear. "Go away," she grumbles into the phone. 

As Jessie moves to hang up, a voice stops her. "Jessie?" They ask, trying to hold back their shock. "It's me, Grace."

"Oh, god Grace. What do you want?" Jessie mumbles, exasperated and still not moving from her position.

"Well, Christmas is coming up," Grace began slowly. 'I was wondering if, this year, you were going to-"

"No, I'm not coming home," Jessie groans. "I'm staying here for break again. I have a lot of work to catch up on," she explains, hoping that it doesn't sound like a lie.

"Liar," Grace smirks and Jessie cringes. "I know that you have nothing better to do than wallow in a big puddle of self-hatred. You can just as easily do that here as you can there," Grace says seriously, and a little concerned.

"You really know how to turn on the charm Grace," Jessie grumbles, trying to cover up the fact that Grace happens to be right. "I mean it, you almost won me over," she grunts. Grace can feel Jessie rolling her eyes all the way in Chicago.

"Are you hung over?" Grace asks curiously.

"Is that all Grace?" Jessie sighs. "Did you just want to ask me to come home so that I can say no...again?"

"Please Jess," Grace pleads. "We really miss you. We're starting to forget what you look like," she says honestly.

"I'll send pictures," she grunts back. 

As Jessie goes to hang up the phone, Grace stops her. "Jessie, please! I told your mother that I would get you to come home!" Grace blurts. Jessie stops and Grace sees this as a good sign. "By the way, happy birthday," she adds.

"Thank you so much for remembering my birthday that was a week ago," Jessie sighs sarcastically and rolling her eyes. "Okay. What's the deal? Why are you pushing it so hard this year?" She asks suspiciously.

"Your dad's company is throwing this huge party on Christmas Eve. Everyone will be there. Your mom, Eli, Zoe, everyone. We all want to see you and this is the perfect opportunity," she says in one breath.

"Fine," Jessie relents in a low mumble. "I'll go. Is that it?"

"You can bring someone if you want," Grace shrugs. "You can bring your girlfriend, Trish, if you like," she whispers into the receiver.

"We broke up a couple of days ago," Jessie replies nonchalantly, staring at her feet, even though Grace couldn't see her.

"I'm sorry," Grace says sadly. "Was it bad?" She asks.

"We were only going out a couple of months. It's not like it's the tragedy of the century or anything," she replies. "Are you bringing someone?" Jessie asks.

"I'm bringing a friend of mine," she says with a smirk. Before Jessie can comment, she continues. "So, the party is Tuesday night. I'll see you then," she says before hanging up.

"Alright then," Jessie says to herself, sulkily. She hangs up the phone and rests her head on the pillow. "I'll never get back to sleep now," she pouts.

**__**

Chicago:

Grace smiles. "Now all I have to do is tell Katie," she whispers to herself as she starts downstairs. She sees her mom in the kitchen. "Hey Mom," she says with a grin.

"What did you do?" Lily asks with a grin. "Why are you so chipper all of a sudden?" She continues.

"Jessie said that she was coming home for Rick's party," she beams. "I just finished talking to her and she said that she would show up."

Lily gets a big grin on her face. "That's great. We haven't seen her for," she stops to think, "four years," she says. "Is she still going out with that boy, Todd?" She asks.

"It's great that she's coming back. She and...Todd broke up a couple of days ago," Grace says and Lily frowns. "Where did Katie go?" She asks with a smile.

"You're going to tell Katie?" Lily asks with her brows furrowing. Grace nods, her smile fading. "Is that a good idea? I mean, they haven't spoken in a little over six years," she says confused.

"I know, but they were really close and Katie was really good for Jessie I think," Grace points out and Lily nods. "I think it would be good for the both of them," she concludes.

"I suppose you're right. Katie's in the living room," Lily says, pointing to the room. 

"Thanks," Grace says as she turns and goes to the living room, wondering how to tell her friend. "Hey, what's up?" She asks.

"Nothing," Katie grumbles, flipping through the channels. "Why?" She asks, turning off the television.

"I, um, need to tell you something," Grace says, avoiding eye contact. "Will you promise not to get mad?" She asks. Katie cautiously nods her head. "Well, you remember Jessie, right?" She asks stupidly.

"Yeah," Katie draws out. "Why? What did you do?" She asks suspiciously.

"I sort of got her to...um...come home for Christmas," she replies shyly, averting her eyes.

"You did what?" Katie growls, her eyes widening and her voice escalating. "Are you brain dead or did you just forget about what happened between us?" she snaps.

Grace is taken aback. "I'm sorry Katie," she says, regaining her voice. "She hasn't been home since she left for college. We, her family, miss her. You don't have to talk to her if you don't want," Grace explains carefully. "I just wanted to let you know, that's all."

Katie looks down at her hands. "It's not that I don't want to talk to her. I'm afraid of what she would say to me," she admits softly.

"You want to see her?" Grace asks, making sure that she heard correctly. Katie nods. "Well, it couldn't hurt to try," she says.

"I don't know about that. From what I hear, Jessie has a pretty hard right hook," Katie smirks and Grace rolls her eyes.

**__**

Chicago-That Night:

Jessie nervously steps out of her car in front of Karen's house. She takes in a deep breath and starts to make her way up to the door. Her mind is racing, not knowing how Karen will react. After all, Karen always had to be the one to call her. As she continues to contemplate this, she stops dead in her tracks, thinking that she can't do this. She turns to go back to her car.

"Jessie?" Karen calls out expectantly. Jessie turns around to see her mother standing at the door. "Hey honey," she beams, urging Jessie to come to her.

"Hey Mom," Jessie says weakly, offering a sad smile. "How are you?" She asks.

Karen smiles slightly. "I'm great. How about you?" She asks.

"Fine," Jessie says with a smile for good measure. 

Karen smiles back, thoroughly not convinced. "That's good. Do you want to come in?" She asks, stepping aside so that Jessie can enter. She just smiles and walks in. Karen sighs, knowing that Jessie is downright miserable...still. "Are you going to the party that's Rick's company is throwing?" She asks, hoping that she is. ****

"I am actually," Jessie says, only mildly self-conscious, avoiding eye contact.

"That's great," Karen says cautiously with a smile. There is an awkward silence. "It's good to see you Jess," she says. "Feels like I haven't seen you in forever."  
"Yeah. It's been a while," she replies as she looks up. Karen studies Jessie's face. Her eyes have dulled and are now full of pain and anguish. Karen is overwhelmed with sympathy and can't help but pull Jessie into a tight hug. "Mom?" Jessie grunts as her mother does this.

"Oh, Jess," Karen sighs as she holds onto her daughter. Jessie soon relaxes and wraps her arms around her mother. "What happened to you?" Karen asks sadly. Pulling away, Jessie gives her a questioning look. "Why are you so sad?" She clarifies.

Jessie is taken aback. "I...um...I'm fine," she stammers. Karen quirks a brow. "I'm just tired. It was a long drive," she covers.

Karen doesn't buy it, but she doesn't push it...yet. "Okay. Let's get you settled," she says instead, heading upstairs with Jessie following.

Jessie sets her stuff down on her bed and sighs as she sits down, her back facing the door. Karen watches her as Jessie's shoulders slump and she rests her head in her hands. She sighs too as she goes back downstairs. _This is going to be a long week. _Jessie shakes her head and stands up so that she can start unpacking.


	2. Should I Stay or Should I Go?

**__**

Karen's House-Monday, December 23:

Karen makes her way down the stairs and sees Jessie sitting in the kitchen. "Hey honey," she says, shocked to see her awake already. Jessie looks up and gives her a soft smile. "What are you doing up so early?" She asks, noting that it's only five in the morning.

"Can't sleep," Jessie answers simply, nursing her cup of coffee. She looks up and sees the worried look on Karen's face. "What?" She asks, setting her cup down to look her mother in the eye.

"Nothing. It's just that," Karen sighs and Jessie gives her an impatient expression. "Are you happy?" Karen asks, cutting straight to the chase.

Jessie is inwardly floored, but she hides the fact well. "Why wouldn't I be?" She asks, completely avoiding the question at hand. 

"That's not an answer," Karen says sternly as she sits down across from her daughter. "Now, are you going to tell me what's wrong or do I have to beat it out of you?" Karen asks, a smile playing at her lips.

"Mom, don't even go there," Jessie says, still pensive. "You know I could kick your ass," she replies, still not looking up, without even the slightest hint of humor added.

"Jessie!" Karen says, taken back by her daughter's choice of words. She immediately turns her focus back to her daughter, who didn't even flinch at her mother's raised voice. "Jess," she says slowly, hoping to draw the information out of her.

"Mom, it's nothing. I'm fine. I'm better than fine. I feel like I'm on top of the goddamn world," Jessie replies in the same somber, detached tone.

Karen looks in Jessie's melancholy eyes and lets out a soft sigh. She reaches over and rubs her daughter's arm gently. "Oh, Jess. What happened to you?" She asks quietly, squeezing Jessie's arm tenderly.

To her surprise, Jessie jumps up, sending her chair sliding across the floor. She takes her cup and sets it in the sink. "I need to go for a walk," she says as she heads for the door. Karen sits there, completely stumped.

**__**

Manning Manor-Later This Morning:

"I can't believe Jessie's coming," Zoe says, giddy with excitement. "We haven't seen her in forever," she continues.

"I can't wait to see her," Rick agrees, reaching for the bacon. "When is she coming?" He asks, turning to Grace.

"I'm not sure. She said that she'd be here for the party tomorrow," she replies with a shrug. "I can't wait until tomorrow," she grins.

"Why?" Eli asks with a yawn as he walks out of the garage. "Why can't you wait until tomorrow? It's only Christmas Eve," he states, stretching.

"For your information, Jessie is coming home for Rick's Christmas party," Zoe says with a smirk. "That's why we can't wait," she sticks her tongue out at him.

"Cool. We haven't seen her in a long time," he says, reaching for the bacon. Everyone just rolls their eyes at how slow he is. 

"How is she anyway?" Zoe asks Grace. Grace just turns her head to look a t he sister. "What? You're the only one she's talked to in the last six years," she says. 

"I don't know how she's doing. It's not like she's been open about anything she's feeling. I can't tell if, when she says she's fine, she's telling the truth," Grace responds.

"Is she still going out with that guy, Todd?" Rick asks. "Is he coming? I want to meet him. Jessie never let us meet her other boyfriends," he gripes.

"Yeah, I know," Eli chimes in. "Like Eric, Mike or Brent. What's up with that?" He asks, sitting down with a frustrated grunt.

Grace rolls her eyes. _More like Erika, Michelle and Brenda. _"She broke up with Todd a couple of days ago," she replies. They all let out a collective grunt of disappointment. 

Karen sighs as she looks at the clock. _It's almost noon and Jessie still isn't back. _ She closes her eyes and starts to worry about her daughter once more. _Six years ago, we agreed to have a closer relationship. Now Jessie won't even talk to me. _She blinks back tears and looks at the door, hoping that Jessie will walk through it as a smiling eleven year old again. But, she realizes that things weren't simple for her daughter, even then. Karen sighs again and lets tears slide down her face freely.

**__**

Park-This Afternoon:

Jessie is sitting on a park bench, leaning over with her head in her hands, just thinking. _I shouldn't have come. I should have stayed in New York...where it's safe. Maybe I should go back before the party tomorrow._

Her cell phone goes off, wrenching Jessie from her thoughts. "Hello?" She asks with confusion.

"Hey," the other person says. "Where are you?" They ask.

"Like I'd tell you, Grace," Jessie says, exasperated. "Why are you calling my cell? How did you get my number?" She asks, getting angry.

Grace just laughs. "Were you high when you recorded your message for your answering machine?" Jessie just grunts, not knowing what Grace is talking about. "You must've been," she says seriously. "You put your cell number on it. I called to see if you were still coming and I got the machine."

"Oh," Jessie says. _Note to self: change message...and cell number. _

"So, are you still coming or do I need to drive myself up to New York to drag your ass back to Chicago?" She asks seriously.

"I'm debating on it," Jessie grumbles. "Look Grace, I don't know if I want to see everyone again. I mean, I haven't seen them in four years," she sighs.

"Listen to me. We miss you and everyone is really looking forward to seeing you again. You really have no choice," Grace says indignantly.

Jessie cringes remembering saying something along the lines not having a choice to Katie. "You always have a choice," she says softly as she hangs up and turns the phone off. "Damn it!" Jessie yells in frustration. _Damn her! _She regains her composure, stands up and starts walking back to her house.

"What's wrong Grace?" Lily asks, sitting next to her brooding daughter. Grace turns to look at her mother. "What's bothering you sweetie?" 

"Jessie," she grumbles. Lily gives her an encouraging smile. "She's having second thoughts about coming home now," she complains. 

"Oh," Lily says a little disappointed. "Did she say why?" She asks curiously.

"Because she isn't sure if she wants to see everyone again," she scoffs. "I can't believe her. I threatened to drive up there and drag her back and nothing! She didn't even flinch," she gripes.

"Did you tell her about Katie?" Lily asks carefully. "I mean, that could help give her incentive," she offers.

"Yeah, incentive to stay put," Grace retorts. "I wish she would talk rather than ignoring us. All I know is that she's been feeling pretty crappy for the last six years," she concludes.

"You picked up on that too, huh?" Zoe quips as she walks into the living room and sits down between them. "Did she change her mind or something? What did you do?" She stares accusingly at Grace.

"**I **didn't do anything. **She's **the one that's being an ass. Jessie isn't so sure she's coming," Grace gripes, folding her arms indignantly across her chest. 

"Grace," Lily draws out as she casts a disapproving eye at her oldest daughter.

"She probably doesn't want to listen to you bitch and moan," Zoe retorts. She gets up and stalks off.

"Do you think Zoe's right?" Grace asks, looking up at Lily. 

"Oh! Look at the time! I have to...um...I have a...thing to do," Lily evades as she gets up and practically runs into another room.

"That was **not **right Mom!" Grace shouts as she gets up to follow her. 

Jessie tentatively opens the front door and steps in. "Hey," Karen says softly from the living room. Jessie stops and carefully walks in. "I'm really-"

"It's okay Mom," Jessie cuts her mother off. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. I've just had a really long week. I shouldn't have taken it out on you," she apologizes as she sits down.

"I heard," Karen replies and Jessie's head pops up in confusion. "Grace told me about you and Todd breaking up," she says gently.

"Yeah," Jessie replies with an unsure smile. "That's it," she mumbles, looking at her hands.

"And you also had your birthday too," Karen adds with a smile and Jessie nods sullenly. "Aren't you excited? 21 years old," Karen smiles brightly, hoping to elicit the same reaction from her daughter, but to no avail.

"It's not that big a deal," Jessie shrugs. "The only difference is that now I can drink legally," she mutters.

"That better have been an attempt at humor," Karen says sternly.

Jessie rolls her eyes. "Of course it was," she lies. "You don't have to take everything I say so literally," she complains.

"I just worry about you Jess. You know that. I don't want you doing something that-"

"I'll regret," Jessie finishes, mocking her mother. "You don't think I know that by now? You've only been drilling it into me since birth. I'm an adult now. I would think that, by now, I would have some say into how I run my life," she gripes.

"You're still my daughter. I will always have a say in how you run your life, even when you're fifty," Karen says lightly.

"That would make you almost eighty," Jessie replies, a smile tugging at her lips. She ventures a glance at her mother, who is scowling at her.

The scowl drops and Karen sighs. "I'm not trying to run your life Jess. I never said that I was. I would at least like to be part of it. You could at least tell me how you are, what's going on. The last few years we've really grown apart and I feel like I don't know you anymore," she confesses.

"I really haven't changed," Jessie says nonchalantly. "I'm just taller now than I was four years ago," she says with a smile.

"You've changed more than that," Karen challenges. "You're dating a lot more," she points out. She ponders this a moment, then her eyes suddenly grow wide and her mouth gapes open. "Jessie, are you-"

"Mom!" Jessie yells out, mortified. "That's none of your business!" She yelps, sinking back in her seat.

"Yes it is," Karen replies. She concludes that Jessie is, in fact, having sex, but she realizes that she can't stop her when her daughter is four states away. She sighs. "At least be careful."

"Damn! Does that mean no more late night orgies at the frat house?" Jessie asks, feigning disappointment. Karen shoots her a glare. "I can't believe that you don't trust me," she grumbles in response to the glare.

"I trust you. It's the guys that I don't trust," Karen says, rubbing Jessie's arm with her hand. Jessie smirks at this comment. "What happened between you and Todd? Is that why you're not feeling all sunshine and roses?" Karen asks.

Jessie looks up. "Nothing happened between us per se. It just wasn't meant to be I guess," she explains. That wasn't the whole story with her and Trisha, it was nowhere near it, but that's as far as she's going with it.

"I guess it was fairly hard on you, huh?" Karen asks, rubbing Jessie's arm. 

"It didn't exactly make my month, but I'm not completely heartbroken over it," she says, feeling the tears welling up. 

"At least you don't seem to be dwelling on it," Karen says, leaning over to hug her daughter. Jessie flinches back and stands up, to Karen's dismay. "What is it?" She asks.

"Nothing, I just have to take a shower. I'm all sweaty. I don't want to get you all gross and sticky," Jessie says as she runs upstairs, wiping at her eyes. Karen, meanwhile, is bewildered.

**__**

Manning Manor-This Evening:

Everyone is flaked out in the living room, watching a movie. They are all so deeply engrossed in it and, when it's over, they all groan, not wanting to get up.

"I hate those cheesy Family Channel original movies. They are all cheap knock-offs of movies that are actually good," Grace nags. 

"Oh please," Zoe counters. "I heard you over there sobbing like a ten year old girl who saw her cat get run over by a lawn mower," she says, rolling her eyes à la Grace Manning. 

"Thanks for this visual. I appreciate catching you in a rare display of tact," Grace throws back sarcastically. 

"Girls! Both of you stop it!" Rick commands. They all sit there in silence a moment. "Grace, when is Jessie going to be here?" He asks.

"I'm not sure that she's even coming home," she admits. Rick and Eli's eyes grow wide. "I talked to her earlier and she said that she's having second thoughts," Grace explains.

"So? Is she coming or isn't she?" Eli coaxes. Grace drops her eyes. "Call her back," he orders.

"I can't. She's not picking up at her apartment and she turned her cell phone off," Grace replies, sinking further in her seat.

"Honey, I think that you should tell Karen that Jessie may not come," Lily says, breaking some of the tension.

"Yeah. I'll do that right now," she says, getting up.

"Unbelievable," Eli pouts, folding his arms across his chest.

Jessie is bounding down the steps just after having stepped out of the shower. She peeks into the living room from the foot of the stairs, but doesn't see Karen. 

"I'm in here sweetie," Karen calls, having noticed that she was looking for her. Jessie smiles as she plops down in a seat in front of her mother in the kitchen. "Good shower?" Karen asks with a smile of her own.

"Yeah, I guess," she replies. Jessie looks down at her hands, adopting a thoughtful expression.

"Jessie, are you sure everything is-" Karen begins, getting cut off by the phone ringing. She grumbles as she gets up to answer it. Jessie breathes a sigh of relief. "Hello," Karen answers. "Oh, hi Grace. What is it?" Karen asks.

On the other side, Grace is gripping the phone tightly. "It's just that, there's something I need to tell you. It involves Jessie," she says.

"Oh?" Karen asks, suddenly growing very anxious, looking over who shoulder at Jessie, who has a curious expression on her face. "What is it?" 

"Well, I called her on her cell phone earlier today and she said that she was having second thoughts on coming home this year," Grace squeaks out.

"Jessie's having second thoughts on coming home?" Karen asks out loud. Jessie's head pops up as she glares at the phone. Karen looks over at Jessie's pleading expression. "Could you hold on one second Grace?" She asks before she puts her hand over the phone. "Care to explain?" She asks her daughter.

Jessie sighs. "I told her that I wasn't sure if I wanted to see them all," she confesses. "Can you just not tell her that I'm here?" She begs.

Karen nods reluctantly. "No Grace. It's okay...I'm not upset...No, I'm a little disappointed," she says pointedly at Jessie. "I'll still see you tomorrow...Yeah. I hope Jessie's there too," she says, smiling at Jessie. "Bye Grace," she says before hanging up. 

"So, uh, how's Grace?" Jessie asks, laughing nervously and trying to change the subject.

Karen, however, has different plans for the course of their conversation. "We are going to talk about this now, whether you like it or not," she says sternly. Jessie braces herself as she sinks down in her seat.


	3. Decisions

"Jessie," Karen says, sitting down across from her daughter. Jessie looks up slowly to meet her mother's eyes. "What is wrong? Why are you thinking about changing your mind about being here?" She asks softly.

Jessie sighs and looks back down. "I don't know. I guess it's just...complicated," she says the last word quietly, closing her eyes.

"That's not an answer," Karen says sternly, leaning back in her seat and folding her arms across her chest. "That's not a good enough reason for me to have lied to Grace. If can't give me one, then I'll call her back and tell her that you're here," she says sternly.

"That's not a good enough reason for you?" Jessie asks, adopting the same position as her mother. Karen shakes her head no. "It's hard," she says in a soft, almost choked, voice.

"Honey," Karen says in a concerned tone. She reaches across the table to grasp Jessie's arm, but Jessie pulls it away before Karen can grab her. "What's hard?" She asks, growing increasingly worried.

"Nothing," Jessie says, sounding dazed and not looking at her mother. "Go ahead. Call Grace if you want," she says, her voice emotionless. She gets up and goes back upstairs.

"Jessie," Karen says, reaching out after she gets up, but Jessie doesn't see or hear her. She glances at the phone, then back up the stairs. "Jess," she repeats, getting up and following Jessie up to her room.

"I know Katie. I wish she would too," Grace empathizes, putting her arm over her friend's shoulder.

"So, what? She just changed her mind out of nowhere? I mean, did she at least say anything?" Katie asks, tears starting to spring to her eyes.

"She just said that she was having second thoughts. Jessie said that he wasn't sure if she was ready to see everyone again," she sighs. "It really wasn't much of an answer," she continues.

"Did you tell her I was going to be here? If you did, that might be a contributing factor to her not being here," Katie sighs.

"What happened between you two anyways? You never told me," Grace says softly.

"I haven't told you for six years. What makes you think that I will now?" Katie smirks. Grace scowls at her. "We got into an argument. I really don't want to talk about it right now," she says, standing up with frustration.

"Katie, you should talk about it. It might help," Grace prods. "It couldn't hurt."

Katie sits back down. "Okay. Here goes," she takes a deep breath. "I had gone up to see Jessie the Friday after you and I had talked. I asked her-"

"Girls!" Lily yells. "Dinner's ready!" She tells them.

"Okay Mom! Give us a second, okay?" Grace calls back. She turns back to Katie, but Katie is up and bolting down the stairs to avoid talking. "Can't avoid this conversation forever," she mumbles as Katie heads down. Katie just flashes a grin as she reaches the foot of the stairs. 

**__**

Karen's House-Tuesday, December 24:

"Morning sweetie," Karen smiles as she comes downstairs. Jessie turns around and looks up from the couch with a smile. "You sleep well?" She asks.

"Okay I guess," Jessie shrugs as she turns back to the television. "You're up early. Work today?" Jessie asks, furrowing her brow.

"No," Karen says, maintaining her smile as she sits down next to her daughter. "I'm just so happy that you're here," she says with sincerity and she pats Jessie on the leg.

At the gesture, Jessie tenses up. She notices Karen's worried look at that. "Just unexpected," she smiles. "It's good to be home," Jessie says.

"We really have missed you. Everyone's dying to see you," Karen says with excitement and Jessie winces, but her mother misses it.

"So, um, what are we going to wear?" Jessie asks, trying to move the conversation along and Karen smiles warmly at her. "I mean, Grace didn't exactly give me specifics or anything. She just kind of told me the specifics," she says with a slight smile.

"If I heard correctly, it is supposed to be formal. Is that okay with you?" Karen says with a playful smile. 

"Of course," Jessie replies, rolling her eyes. "What time is this thing going to start anyways?" She asks, looking at the clock as she does so.

"It is supposed to start at seven, but it doesn't matter when we decide to show up," she responds. "Fashionably late if you will," Karen continues.

"Oh, I see," Jessie chuckles. "Let them wonder for a while," she smirks.

**__**

Manning Manor-Later This Morning

"Cutting it a little under the wire, isn't she?" Eli notes as he comes into the living room. Grace turns to glare at him. "Well, she still isn't here and the party is in seven and a half hours. In my book, that's cutting it close," he shrugs.

"She will be here. She **better **be here," Grace grinds out. "What do you think Zoe?" She asks, turning to her sister.

"I don't know. Jessie's never broken a promise. She said she'd be here. But, she also said she'd never come home. It's pretty much a toss up," Zoe muses, glad that people started to actually listen to her. 

Everyone ponders this a moment. "But, she'll end up breaking a promise no matter what. So, we are still exactly where we were," Katie points out. "I think that she'll be here," she says.

"What makes you so sure? She hasn't before, why would she start now?" Grace challenges, hoping Katie will prove her wrong.

"She also never said that she'd be here before this year. Besides, I still feel really close to her. I have a feeling," Katie responds.

"That's good enough for me," Grace says. She and Katie share a smile.

"What are you guys going on about?" Rick says as he walks into the room with Lily.

"Same thing we have been for the last two days Rick," Grace says, rolling her eyes as if it is the most obvious thing in the world.

"What are you guys going to wear?" Lily asks, going completely off topic.

"What are you? The clothes Nazi?" Zoe mumbles, earning a laugh from everyone except Lily. 

**__**

The Party-Tonight:

"Is that her?" Katie asks, craning her neck to look over the people. She looks over at Grace to get her attention. "Grace, is that Jessie?" 

Grace rolls her eyes. "No," she says simply. "That is not Jessie," she sighs and starts to scope out the room herself.

"Oh. Well, who is it then? She looks so much like her," Katie continues, not letting the issue drop. "I mean, are you sure?"

Grace sighs again. "Chill out. Not every young blonde you see is going to be her," she rationalizes to her impatient friend. Katie gives her a pleading look. "Fine. That is Michelle Wheaton. She's Rick and Sam's new partner," Grace relents.

"Oh, I see," Katie then gives Grace a mischievous grin. "How closely do they work?" She asks, quirking a suggestive eyebrow.

"Rick and Sam don't stand a chance with her," Katie tilts her head in confusion. "Let's just say, they are batting for the same team," Grace chuckles.

"Oh," Katie says with a smirk. "Well, if Jessie doesn't show..." she begins, but then trails off as she stares across the room.

"What?" Grace asks, noticing that Katie didn't finish her quip. She turns to follow Katie's gaze to the door, where Jessie has entered. "Wow. She grew up," she breathes, not knowing what else to say.

"She sure did," Katie says, in the same low tone that Grace used. "We should probably go say hi," she says and Grace nods in agreement. However, neither of them move.

"What are you two gawking at?" Eli asks as he and Zoe walk up to the two gaping girls. 

They turn their heads simultaneously, letting Jessie out of their sight. 

_God. I need a drink._ Jessie lets out an exasperated sigh and goes over to the bar to get a drink. She quickly downs a glass of wine and picks up another before scanning the crowd. "Hi," a voice says from behind her. Jessie whips around to see who's behind her. The woman smiles and Jessie smiles back. "I'm Michelle."

"Hi. I'm Jessie," she says, introducing herself to the woman before her. Jessie feels her body easing up some at finding a friendly face in the crowd.

"So, what brings you to a boring function such as this?" Michelle says, trying to break the ice. 

"My dad is an architect," Jessie replies, rolling her eyes. "I was pretty much dragged to this incredibly boring function," she sighs. "What about you? Blackmail?"

"Hardly," Michelle chuckles. "I'm an architect too," she says. "What do you do?" 

"Not much of anything really," Jessie grins. "I'm a student," she says seriously.

"I knew you didn't look old enough to drink," Michelle smirks, grabbing Jessie's drink from her hand. 

"Cute," Jessie deadpans, folding her arms across her chest. "**College **student," she clarifies with a mock scowl.

"Oh, I see," Michelle responds, feigning disappointment as she hands Jessie's drink back. She looks back at Jessie and they start to laugh.

"The hell?" Katie gapes as she spots Jessie and Michelle on th other side of the room. "Grace," she says, getting her friend's attention. 

"Hey, isn't that the gay chick that works with Rick?" Zoe asks as she walks up to the girls. Grace and Katie shoot her a look that Zoe seems to ignore. "Why is she hitting on Jessie? She's straight. Her gay-dar must be off." 

"Zoe, shut up," Grace says, rolling her eyes. Due to their being preoccupied, they lost sight of Jessie for the second time that night. "Great, now where'd she go?" Grace mumbled.

**__**

"I'll find her," Katie says with determination. She walks off toward Michelle. "Have you seen Jessie?" She asks with irritation.

"Who are you?" Michelle asks with equal irritation. "Are you her girlfriend or something?" She asks, folding her arms.

"Do you know where she went or not?" Katie asks, clenching her fists at her sides.

"Not sure," Michelle shrugs with a smug expression.

Katie scoffs and skulks off to further inquire as to where Jessie went.

Outside, Jessie is sitting on a step in the back of the building, staring at the landscape and listening to the insects chirp. She looks intensely into her half empty glass of wine, swirling the liquid around. Slowly, she pulls a cigarette up to her lips, not taking her eyes off the glass. She turns her head around to look inside the glass door at the people inside. Jessie lets out a soft sigh and turns her attention back to her thoughts.

Katie looks out the glass door and sees a certain young blonde sitting out on the steps. She takes a few soft steps toward the door and just watches the girl. Katie is almost afraid to pull the girl out of her thoughts. Then, she shakes her head realizing that Jessie is no longer a girl.

Carefully and quietly, Katie slowly slides the door open and walks up behind Jessie. She starts to open her mouth to say something.

"Hi Katie," Jessie whispers without turning around. Katie just stands there, stunned.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry this chapter took so long. I haven't been able to motivate myself the last couple of days. :)


	4. Secrets

Katie jumps slightly, not expecting Jessie to know it was her. "Um, hi Jess," she stutters, cringing at her lameness. She slowly walks forward and carefully sits down next to Jessie, not taking her eyes off of her.

"What?" Jessie asks agitatedly, feeling Katie's eyes on her.

Katie sighs as she looks at Jessie. "Nothing. I just...I missed you," she whispers softly, reaching over to brush some of the hair out of Jessie's face.

Jessie turns her head away to avoid the contact, leaving Katie's hand in mid-air. "Don't," she says icily, finally turning toward Katie to glare at her.

There is an oppressive silence between them. Katie looks back over at Jessie. "I'm sorry...about everything," Katie whispers gently.

Jessie looks at Katie, confusion written all over her face. "What everything? You've only been sitting here, like, five minutes," she says, puzzled.

"You can be such a blonde sometimes Jess," Katie says playfully, tugging at a strand of Jessie's hair. Jessie shoots a glare at her as Katie drops her hand and clears her throat nervously. "I mean, I'm sorry about before. You know, when we were still in high school."

"Good," Jessie replies, putting her cigarette out and getting up to go. "You should be," she says, grabbing her glass and moving to leave.

"It wasn't entirely my fault you know," Katie blurts angrily. "You're partially to blame too," she says more calmly.

"Yeah, but if you hadn't been so gung-ho about going to that damned dance, then none of it would've happened," Jessie fumes before turning to go again.

Katie instinctively reaches out and grabs Jessie by the arm. Jessie clenches her eyes shut and rips her arm away, but doesn't move. "Does your family know?" Katie asks.

"Know what?" Jessie asks, hoping that Katie isn't talking about what she thinks she's talking about.

"You know what I'm talking about. Do they know you're gay?" Katie asks in a frustrated tone. "Have you told them yet?"

"No," Jessie mumbles weakly, looking down at her feet. "Why the fuck do you care anyways?" She asks harshly, changing her tone.

"I've always cared!" Katie retorts quickly. Jessie's anger dies quickly and she just stands there, stunned. Katie sees Jessie's softened eyes and she takes a step forward and pulls Jessie in for a hug. Jessie's body stiffens at first, but then she relaxes into Katie's embrace.

"Hey, look. There's Jessie, she and Katie are talking," Grace says as she walks up to her mother.

"Oh, yeah. I hadn't even realized Jessie was here," Lily says happily.

"It's about time they made up," Zoe grumbles. "They haven't talked in, like, forever."

Grace rolls her eyes at her clueless sister for the hundredth time that night. "I wonder what their problem was anyways," she says. 

"Yeah. It's not like they talk to us or anything," Zoe states. "Speaking of which, do you think that they're going to stand out there hugging all night?"

Grace and Lily turn their attention outside to see Jessie and Katie hugging. "I think they'll do whatever they need to do," Grace says. The other two just nod. 

Jessie and Katie pull apart and Katie looks into Jessie's face. "How have you been doing Jess?" She asks.

"What do you mean?" Jessie asks dejectedly, her shoulders hunching over.

"Something is upsetting you Jess. I can see it in your eyes," Katie pauses, waiting for an objection, but she gets none. "Is it about your breakup with Trisha?" She asks.

Jessie glares at Katie. "You've been talking to Grace," she accuses. "Neither of you know what happened so don't pretend like you do," she growls.

"What **did **happen then?" Katie asks, suddenly intrigued as to what could get Jessie so defensive. She takes Jessie's hand in her own and they sit back down on the steps. "How and why did you two break up?" She asks softly, lifting Jessie's hand up and kissing it tenderly.

Jessie carefully pulls her hand away from Katie and sets both of them on her lap. "We didn't break up," she whispers weakly.

"You two are still together, then?" Katie asks. Jessie shakes her head slowly. "Then, what...how...what..." she stammers, confused.

"She's dead," Jessie whispers, her voice cracking and tears starting to slide down her face. Katie opens her mouth to say something, but Jessie continues. "There was a car accident."

"Were you drinking?" Katie asks, dreading the answer.

"Yes," Katie winces. "But I wasn't driving," Jessie says softly upon catching Katie's reaction. "We were driving and this truck comes out of nowhere. He hit on my side and the car flipped over. Next thing I remember, I was in a hospital and she was in a coma."

"Oh, Jess," Katie says softly, but Jessie doesn't hear.

"She died later that day. I just got a concussion and cut up," she says. "It was my birthday," she whispers, leaning her head against Katie's shoulder.

"Jessie, I'm so sorry," Katie mumbles, resting her head on top of Jessie's.

"I mean, we hadn't known each other very long, but I felt really close to her," Jessie says absently.

Katie stiffens up. "Oh yeah? Did you love her?" She asks, trying not to sound too jealous.

"No," Jessie replies without hesitation. "She came pretty close. But you're the only person I ever loved," she whispers sleepily, closing her eyes.

Katie looks down and sees Jessie's eyes closed. "I love you too," she whispers, brushing the hair out of Jessie's eyes, letting her hand linger on the side of Jessie's face. Katie sighs contently, rests her head on Jessie's and closes her eyes too.

The sliding glass door opens suddenly. "There you are Jess! Grace told me you were here!" Rick exclaims happily, causing Jessie to jump about half a mile into the air, knocking Katie over.

"Oh, Katie. Damn it. Dad!" Jessie yells agitatedly. She reaches over and helps Katie up from her position on the ground.

"I'm sorry sweetie," Rick says, his enthusiasm intact. Jessie is soon greeted by her dad wrapping his arms around her.

She grunts, signaling the end of the bear-hug. "I missed you too dad," Jessie says in a low, almost menacing, tone as she struggles to breathe.

Katie giggles. "Hi Mr. Sammler. I found her for you," she says with a tender smile directed at Jessie. 

Jessie shifts uncomfortably under Katie's gaze. "Yeah. I was going to look for you and everyone else, but Katie distracted me," she smirks.

"Oh, well, let's go in now. Everyone is dying to see you," Rick says, missing the pained look on Jessie's face.

"Yeah, let's go," Jessie replies weakly. 

Rick walks in and Katie looks sympathetically at Jessie's dejected form. "Jessie, you know he didn't-"

"Let's go. Don't want to keep them waiting," Jessie says pathetically. She turns and follows her father in. Katie sighs and follows suit.

**__**

Party-Couple Hours Later

Jessie is standing around, talking with Eli and Zoe. Katie is waiting, impatiently, for another chance to be alone with Jessie. They haven't been alone since Rick showed up earlier.

Jessie yawns and Katie watches her with a smile. "Jess, you look tired. It **is **getting a little late. Do you want me to give you a ride home?" She asks, hopefully, anticipating a chance to talk to her again.

Jessie shifts her weight from one foot to another nervously. "I don't know. I mean, I was kind of going to go with my mom, but-"

"It's okay Jess. I'll tell her you got a ride with Katie," Eli tells her. "Don't worry. Go ahead. I'll see you tomorrow," he says with a smile.

"Okay," Jessie concedes, hesitantly. "Bye," she says as an ecstatic Katie takes her by the arm and pulls her out the door. "What's the rush?" Jessie giggles, only a little drunk, as Katie drags her to the car.

Katie looks at Jessie and her face flushes Kool-Aid red. "I...um...well. I just thought that we should get out of there, you know?" She asks, hoping that Jessie does know.

"Okay," Jessie chuckles as she slips into the car. Katie goes to the other side and gets in and drives off. 

Moments later, Katie looks over to see Jessie asleep, leaning against the back of the seat, and she smiles. Soon, they pull up to Karen's house. "Hey," she says softly, brushing some of Jessie's hair out of her face. "We're home." Jessie grunts her protest at getting up. "It won't be to comfortable sleeping in my car all night," she says with amusement.

Jessie promptly disproves that theory by leaning against Katie and using her as a human pillow. A few minutes of silence pass by. "Come in with me," Jessie mumbles into Katie's shoulder.

Katie looks down at Jessie and tries to decide whether that was a question or a command. "Okay," she replies. 

They both get out of the car, only Jessie more slowly. The two of them enter the dark, empty house and Katie instinctively reaches for Jessie's hand. She soon realizes that Jessie is leading her up the stairs. "Jessie, why are we-" she begins somewhat apprehensively.

"It's late," Jessie replies groggily as she leads them up the stairs and into her room. She pulls Katie into the room and they practically collapse on the bed. Jessie snuggles up to Katie once again and falls back asleep. "Good night," she whispers before drifting off.

"Night," Katie replies just as softly as she, too, fell asleep. 


	5. Chritmas Day

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long.

**__**

Christmas Morning:

"Jessie. Jessie," Katie draws out slowly and softly as she gently shakes her. "It's morning. Time to get up," she whispers and Jessie stirs.

"Leave me alone," Jessie grumbles from under the blankets. Katie chuckles as she pulls the blanket down. "Hey," she grumbles as she squints her eyes in the morning sun. "Why'd you do that?" She pouts.

"Come on! It's Christmas! Let's go see the happy presents!" Katie says as she bounces out of the room, dragging a half asleep Jessie with her.

"You see the happy presents and I'll visit the happy coffee," Jessie yawns out. "And what, are you suddenly five again?" 

"Don't be such a party pooper," Katie grins. As they reach the foot of the stairs, Katie leans over and steals a kiss from Jessie before running into the kitchen to greet Karen.

"Morning girls," Karen smiles as they enter. "You sleep well?" She asks them.

"Of course," Katie answers while sending a soft smile at Jessie.

"I **did**, but a certain someone had to wake me up," Jessie says pointedly at Katie, who is on the other side of the room with a triumphant grin.

"Good for her," Karen praises Katie with a smile. Jessie glares at them both before setting her head down on the table with another yawn. 

Katie walks around to Jessie's side of the table and sets down a hot mug of coffee before taking a seat next to her. "You are a saint," Jessie mumbles to Katie as she lifts her head.

"Oh, I see how it is. Five seconds ago, you were bitching and moaning about me waking you up and now I'm a saint," Katie says dramatically while Karen chuckles and Jessie rolls her eyes. "What's for breakfast?" Katie asks, abruptly changing the subject.

**__**

Manning Manor-Later This Morning

"Hi Katie. Did you have fun last night?" Grace asks innocently, with a grin threatening to come out.

"What do you want to know?" Katie says, rolling her eyes and smiling.

"Whatever makes you think I was going to pump you for information on Jessie?" She asks trying to sound appalled. Grace catches the unaffected expression on her friend's face. "Okay, well, since you want me to. How did it go with Jessie last night?" She asks, leaning forward with interest.

Katie laughs softly. "It was, um...strange actually," she says, still trying to sort out everything that happened. Grace tilts her head in confusion. "I won't lie, it wasn't what I expected at all."

"Ooh," Grace says interestedly. "How so?"

"Well," Katie pauses, trying to figure out how to explain it. "I expected Jessie to be either angry or really happy," she pauses again and grunts in frustration. "I mean, what happened between us, well, it sucked. I half expected her to go postal on me. She didn't. The other half of me wanted her to jump into my arms. She didn't," she sighs.

"So, what **did **she do?" Grace asks, her curiosity mounting.

"Last night, she was, I don't know, somewhat indifferent. When we were talking, it was like she wasn't talking to me. She was just...talking, thinking out loud," Katie says with a confused look on her face.

"That's it? She was just indifferent the whole time?" Grace asks incredulously.

"No. Not the whole time," Katie says quickly. "This morning, she was kind of grumpy because I woke her up," she smiles.

"You **slept **with her," Grace says, her eyes growing wide. "But, how...why...huh?" She asks with an intense amount of concern.

Katie basks in a brief moment of confusion before Grace's words become clear. "We **slept **together as in literally slept," she laughs at Grace's accusation.

"Really?" Grace quirks an eyebrow in amusement. "How did that happen?"

"She was drunk, she dragged me upstairs into her room, pulled me onto the bed with her and fell asleep," Katie says with a shrug.

"And she was grumpy when you woke her up this morning?" Grace asks to make sure she was clear on it.

"Right. She made fun of my enthusiasm over Christmas," Katie pouts. "But, she wasn't angry or anything."

"Did you guys talk about what happened between the two of you yet?" Grace asks.

"No, not yet. Why?" Katie asks.

"You'll probably need to if you plan on having any kind of relationship. You know what I mean champ?" Grace asks, lightly punching Katie in the arm before getting up from the table, leaving Katie to think about what to do.

Katie stands up and walks over to the phone, picks it up and dials. "Hey Mrs. Sammler, is Jessie there?...Thank you...Hey Jess! Do you have any plans for this afternoon?...Me? No, I don't have any plans...Well, I was thinking that since you don't have plans and I don't have plans, maybe we could make plans together," Katie takes a deep breath when there is a pause on the other end. "Really?...How about lunch?...Okay, I'll see you in about half an hour, okay?...Great, bye," she hangs up and grins as she bounds upstairs to change.

"Hi...again," Jessie smiles as she gets into Katie's car. 

"Hi Jess. Long time no see," Katie grins and Jessie rolls her eyes. "So, where do you want to go for lunch?" She asks.

Jessie thinks for a minute. "How about Subway?" 

"Subway? That's not very romantic," Katie says with confusion.

"It's not like we're going out or anything," Jessie says with a shrug. "And besides, they really go all out when it comes to Christmas dinner."

"Not going out? But...I thought...last night we were..." Katie stutters with full-blown confusion.

"You thought what? That we were dating again?" Jessie asks and Katie nods. "It's not that simple Katie," she says with irritation. "One night of me being drunk and talking to you doesn't make us a couple again. We can't just pick up where we left off Katie. It's not that simple," she says crossly.

Katie pulls the car over to the side of the road. "But why not? I still love you Jess! I am so sorry for what happened and there is nothing that I would like more than to pick up where we left off," Katie says desperately.

"What?" Jessie breathes out in shock.

"I still love you," Katie says softly, reaching over and carefully taking Jessie's hand. 

"But, how...why?" She pauses. "After everything I put you through, how can you still love me when I don't even love myself?" Jessie asks with tears threatening to come out.

Katie pulls Jessie into a tight hug. "How can I not love you?" She whispers in her ear. "You are the best thing that ever happened to me," she says with tears of her own and Jessie scoffs. "Before you, I was so confused. You were the only person to actually see the real me."

Jessie clings to Katie for a moment longer. "I am really not in the mood for food anymore," she whispers through sniffles. "Let's just go back to the house," she says softly as she regretfully pulls away.

"Yeah, okay," Katie agrees as she starts up the car and turns around.

When they pull up to the house, Jessie gets out of the car and starts walking up to the door and Katie sits in the car, watching Jessie go. Jessie stops and turns around. "Aren't you coming?" She asks.

Katie practically jumps out of the car. "Yeah, of course. I was just, um, thinking," she covers.

"Yeah, right," Jessie smirks as she opens the front door.

They step inside the house and Katie notes how quiet it is. "Where's your mom?" She asks curiously as they walk into the living room.

"She went to work or something. I forgot where exactly. I wasn't really listening," Jessie and Katie share a smile.

Jessie leans into Katie, letting their lips meet. Once her brain catches up to her body, Katie wraps her arms around Jessie's waist and pulls her body closer. Jessie throws her arms around Katie's neck to gain more leverage as she almost falls over from the force Katie uses to pull them closer. Jessie pulls Katie as close as she can. The force pulls them down and they fall onto the couch with Katie on top of Jessie. All the while, their lip-lock remains intact, their passion grows and their breathing becomes more labored. 

Their hands begin to wander and Katie slowly starts to unbutton Jessie's shirt. After her shirt is unbuttoned, Jessie reaches down and unbuttons Katie's pants. She then reaches up and slides her hands under Katie's shirt. Her hands roam from Katie's sides to her back and back down to her side before sliding back down to her sides. Katie groans into Jessie's mouth under her touch. 

She suddenly finds her top to be to constricting, so she breaks their kiss and reaches down and starts to struggle with taking it off. The task becomes increasingly difficult once Jessie starts to run her hands over Katie's stomach, sides and back. She looks desperately and eagerly into Jessie's eyes as her breathing gets harder. Katie manages to get the shirt halfway over her head, blocking her view. They both groan as Jessie bucks her hips into Katie's, making Katie's struggle to remove her shirt more difficult and unbearable.

"Jessie," Katie moans as Jessie bucks her hips again. Jessie closes her eyes and does it again and they both moan once more. "Jessie," she moans again, her shirt around her head.

There is the thump of a bag hitting the ground. "Oh my god," someone mutters from the doorway, causing both girls to stop their movements.


	6. Oops

"Oh, please no," Katie says, her voice muffled by her shirt, almost afraid to see what's going to go down.

Jessie's eyes shoot wide open and she whips her head around to the doorway. "Fuuuuck," she says quietly so that only Katie can hear her. She smiles sheepishly and laughs nervously. "Hi guys. So, um, I guess we're doing dinner here tonight huh?" She asks, wanting desperately to sink into the couch and disappear.

"It's about damn time," Grace grins as Katie pulls her shirt back on.

"Oh my god," Karen repeats as she gapes at Jessie and her 'best friend' as Katie climbs off the couch.

"Holy shit!" Zoe yelps as she looks from Katie pulling her shirt all the way down and her stepsister, who is trying to button her shirt back up.

Rick passes out with a thud, Judy and Eli smirk. "Okay then," Lily says, not really sure what to do. "Eli, Grace, Zoe, why don't you guys go...somewhere," Lily orders, her eyes not leaving Jessie and Katie.

"No, I think I want to see this," Grace says with a grin. Lily shoots her a glare and Judy pushes her toward the door. "Fine. We're going," she sighs as they walk out of the house onto the porch.

"Who would have thought Jessie and Katie would get together?" Eli asks with a grin. "Didn't see **that **one coming," he says with a chuckle.

"So, you're okay with her and Katie?" Grace asks, taking poll.

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be? Jessie's my sister, I love her," he replies with a shrug.

"It didn't freak you out or anything?" Grace asks.

"Nope. But did you see Dad?" Eli asks, bursting into laughter. 

"I'd be cool with it if Jessie was gay. Although, there probably would've been a more tactful way of her letting us know," Zoe smirks. "And besides, she might not even be gay. It might not have been what it looked like," she says perceptibly.

"What else could they have been doing Zoe?" Grace asks. 

"Strip tackle football?" Eli offers with a grin.

"Exactly," Zoe says. "That's what they were probably doing anyways. So there!" Zoe exclaims while sticking her tongue out at her sister. Grace and Eli start laughing. "You never know with those two," she mumbles defensively.

"So, Zoe. Would you like to explain the rules of strip tackle football?" Grace asks, trying to hold in her giggles. Zoe punches her in the arm before sitting down with her arms crossed and pout intact.

Once Rick regains his consciousness, he moves to the loveseat and sits down with Lily next to him and Judy sits in the chair. Jessie and Katie are sitting on the couch, Jessie with her head down, studying her hands. 

Karen just paces, occasionally stopping and shaking her head. Finally, she just stops and takes a deep breath. "So, how long?" She asks.

"How long what?" Jessie asks with confusion.

"You and Katie. How long have you two been...?" She waves her hand, not wanting to actually say it.

"Doing what?" Katie asks with apprehension.

"Each other," Rick says bluntly before Karen has the chance.

"We never have," Jessie states honestly while shaking her head.

"Then why were you were both half naked on the couch?" Karen grumbles sarcastically.

"We haven't!" Jessie yells, standing up. "We just got...carried away," she says weakly, losing her fire and sitting down.

"I believe her," Judy says sincerely, earning a glare from Karen.

Lily decides to interject before things get out of hand. "Jessie, are you gay?" She asks, cutting right to the chase.

Jessie sighs. "If you have to put a name to it, then...yes I guess I am," she says, closing her eyes and tilting her head back down, expecting the worst.

There's a stunned silence. "How long have you known Jess?" Rick asks softly.

"Since after, um, after I tried to...about a week after I met Katie, she admits quietly, feeling tears start to well up. "Are you mad at me?" She asks sounding all of two inches tall and nearly breaking everyone's heart with her vulnerability.

"Jess, oh god no. We aren't mad at you," Karen breathes out, sitting down next to her daughter. 

"We can't be mad at you because of this," Rick says incredulously and the others nod silently. "It's just...why didn't you tell us sooner?" He asks sounding genuinely perplexed.

"I was afraid," Jessie says, looking up at them. "I didn't know how you would react," she sniffles.

"This wasn't how I would've wanted to find out, but we aren't mad at you," Rick says sincerely as he goes to hug her. 

The room then lapses into an uncomfortable silence. Jessie shifts in her seat, staring down at her lap. Katie sits on her hands, looking five years old. All of the adults just sit there, each staring at a different wall, trying to figure out what to say next.

"When's dinner going to be ready?" Katie asks, breaking the silence. 

Everyone laughs, glad to relieve some of the tension. "Don't you think about anything other than food?" Jessie asks.

"You," Katie says before she can stop herself. The room lapses into an awkward silence...again.

"Yeah, um, I'm going to get started with dinner," Karen says, getting up from her seat. 

"I'll help," Lily offers, hastily getting up to follow Karen and escape.

"Uh, yeah," Judy says, standing up. She smiles at them before following Karen and Lily.

"You two can get back to...whatever," Rick says, winking at them. He then leans down and hugs Jessie again and smiles before following the other two women.

Both girls simultaneously let out a breath they didn't realize they had held in. Then they both relax and fall back into the couch. 

"That was fun," Katie comments with a smirk. 

"Yeah, why can't all holidays be this exciting?" Jessie asks sarcastically before bringing a pillow to her face and screaming into it.

"How does it feel to have finally come out?" Katie asks her with a grin. Jessie mumbles something inaudible from under the pillow and Katie thinks it would be best to **not **know what Jessie had just said. 

"Hi," Grace smirks as she walks into the living room. "How did it go?" She asks with cautiousness.

"Better than I thought it would," Jessie confesses with a sigh.

"So...you're gay?" Zoe asks as she walks in, narrowly dodging the pillow that flies at her head. "Hey," she says. "It was a perfectly legitimate question," she defends.

"Yeah, I am," Jessie says warily, leaning back into the couch. As if on instinct, her hand slides over and takes hold of Katie's.

"You two make a cute couple," Eli observes with a thoughtful smile. "I'm happy for you," he says, maintaining the same smile.

"Thank you," Katie says and Jessie just nods and sighs. "What's wrong?" She asks, noting Jessie's behavior.

"I was just thinking, if I had known that everyone would be this great, then I wouldn't have waited so long to tell them," she says with a look of deep reflection.

"Jess, I hate to be the one to point this out, but, technically you really didn't tell them," Zoe points out. Jessie looks at her with confusion.

"Yeah, she's right," Katie states. "They kind of walked in on us about to have sex," she clears up with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah. That," Jessie says. Katie quirks a brow. "What?" She asks, looking at Katie with confusion.

"Nothing. It's just the way you just said that, you made it sound like you forgot your car keys or something," Katie says.

"Sorry I forgot it. How silly of me to forget something like that during a mild heart attack. However can I make it up to you?" Jessie asks, rolling her eyes.

"I can think of a few things," Katie says, raising her eyebrows seductively and Jessie gently shoves her.

"I bet you can and we will do something about some of those things, but not right now," Jessie says and Katie pouts. "You're so cute when you're sexually frustrated," she smirks and tries to get up. 

Before Jessie has a chance to make her get away, Katie grabs her by the wrist and pulls her onto her lap. "You didn't think I was going to let you get away that easy, did you?" Katie asks with a grin and Jessie shakes her head with a soft smile. They lean in and start to kiss.

The others laugh at the display. "We should see of the adults need any help with...anything," Grace says while trying to herd Zoe and Eli out as well. They walk into the kitchen, leaving Jessie and Katie alone.

"So, things went well?" Grace asks the adults as they walk into the kitchen.

"Yes, they did actually," Judy says with a smile. "Did you talk to them?" She asks, sounding slightly worried.

"Uh huh," Eli grunts as he goes to see what smells so good.

"Yep," Zoe chirps with a smile. 

Grace nods. "We told them that she had our full support. We are really happy for them," she says with a soft smile.

"That's good that we're all okay with it," Rick says with a smile of his own. 

"Yeah. By the way Dad, I hope that you didn't hurt yourself too bad when you hit your head on the floor," Eli says slyly with a grin.

"Ha ha," Rick deadpans. They others laugh lightly.

"Need us to help with anything?" Jessie asks as she and Katie walk into the kitchen holding hands.

**__**

Later Christmas Night:

"This was a really long day," Jessie sighs as she leans into Katie on the couch.

"Uh huh," Katie agrees dreamily. "How do you feel?" She asks seriously.

"I don't really know," Jessie admits. "I just hope that the rest of the week isn't as eventful," she says while unsuccessfully trying to stifle a yawn. After a short pause, Jessie looks up at Katie. "How do **you **feel?"

Katie smiles. "You know how I feel. This is all I've wanted for the past six years," Katie answers softly. "The wait was worth it. You were worth it," she continues softly.

Jessie smiles. "So are you. And, I have to say that I am actually really glad they know now," Jessie confesses.

"When do you go back to school?" Katie asks, changing the subject.

"Monday morning," Jessie says while trying to stifle another yawn. "That'll give me all of New Year's Day to sleep and get ready for exams," she says while snuggling closer to Katie. "Where are you going after the holidays?" 

"Not sure. I'm actually fairly certain that it's about time I find a job," Katie says and they both laugh. "I've been out of school since June and I'm pretty sure my parents don't appreciate that their twenty-three year old daughter still lives with them," she smiles.

"Yeah. It's time for little Katie to grow up and act like a big girl now," Jessie teases and then yawns again.

"I should probably get going," Katie says reluctantly. "You're tired and I should let you get to bed," she explains.

"Nuh uh," Jessie grunts, shaking her head against Katie's chest. "It's late and past your bedtime," she teases. "You're not going anywhere," she tells Katie sleepily.

"Okay," Katie relents happily without hesitation. They stay like that a moment longer. "Jessie, can we go to your room at least because, as much as I love you, I also like being able to feel my legs too," she pleads.

Jessie looks up with a mischievous grin. "Only if you carry me," she smirks.

Katie looks up at the stairs, then back down at Jessie. She realizes that it's a long trip up those steps while trying to carry someone. She wonders if it would really be worth it. Jessie notices Katie's torn expression and grins with triumph as she settles back into her previous position. "Okay, let's go," Katie smirks. 

tbc 


	7. Seeking Advice

A/N: Sorry this took so long. I have been really busy with school and stuff. Also, for the two or three people that actually read 'Law of Attraction', I am working on it probably as you're reading this.

Jessie looks up at Katie with an amused expression on her face. "Okay Hercules, carry me," she smirks while holding her arms open. 

Katie takes one more glance toward the stairs before looking down at Jessie with a mischievous look on her face. She picks Jessie up in her arms with a grunt. "Alright, her we go," she breathes out as she tries not to drop Jessie. Slowly, Katie makes her way up to Jessie's room with Jessie in her arms, trying not to laugh.

When they finally get up to her room, Katie unceremoniously drops Jessie on the bed before plopping herself next to her. "Good job. Next time, try not to take so long though," Jessie jokes as she crawls under the covers.

"What makes you think there'll even be a next time?" Katie asks with an incredulous smirk. Jessie raises her eyebrows challengingly. "I'll try to keep that in mind," Katie chuckles as she gets in next to Jessie.

"I'm going to hold you to that too," Jessie says as she snuggles up to Katie, trying to get comfortable. "Sleep good," she says with a yawn.

"You too," Katie replies, smiling down fondly at Jessie, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

**__**

Thursday, December 26

Katie blinks her eyes in the morning sun that refuses to let her keep sleeping. She braves opening her eyes all the way only to find herself alone. The few moments of early morning confusion are soon blinked away as Katie realizes that Jessie probably woke up and didn't want to wake her, so she decides to venture downstairs.

"Morning Mrs. Sammler," Katie yawns as she enters the kitchen.

Karen looks up from her coffee, startled. "Oh, hey Katie. I didn't hear you come down," she smiles nervously at her. A minute of awkward silence follows. "So, um, is Jessie still asleep?" She asks, if only to break the tension.

"No, I thought she was down here. I woke up and she was gone. I thought she already came down," Katie says, beginning to panic. 

Karen looks at her, mirroring her own panic. "She'll probably be back soon. She probably just went out for a walk or something," she says, trying to comfort them both

"I am and I did," Jessie says as she walks into the kitchen as she shakes off some of the snow. "And I thought I was paranoid," Jessie mumbles under her breath.

"Did you do a lot of deep spiritual thinking and meditation?" Katie jokes. "Did you reach enlightenment? Are you the next Buddha? Can I be one of your disciples?" She continues, thoroughly amusing herself.

"Katie, I need to talk to you," Jessie says softly, pleadingly. Katie stops her laughing and gives Jessie a blank expression. "Please, it's important," she says, almost begging.

"Um, yeah," Katie responds reluctantly, getting up. She looks over her shoulder at Karen, who gives Katie a worried expression. They step out into the living room and Jessie turns to look at Katie. "What's wrong?" She asks with trepidation.

"How long are you going to be in Chicago?" Jessie asks.

"I'm not sure. I applied for a job at the Chicago Tribune, so, I don't know for how long. Why?" Katie asks cautiously.

"So, you're staying here and I'm going to go back to New York," Jessie says with disappointment. "By the end of the week we're both going back to our lives," she states.

All the pieces fall into place. "Jessie, our relationship isn't going to be over by the end of the week. Don't worry about it," Katie assures her.

"I beg to differ. I'll be in New York and you'll be here. That counts as 'over' in my book," Jessie points out.

"We can do the long distance thing," Katie suggests.

"You know that they hardly ever work out Katie," Jessie says weakly as she leans her head on Katie's shoulder.

"We'll be one of those lucky couples that it does work for. You know what they say, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'," Katie smirks.

"Are these the same people that say 'out of sight, out of mind'?" Jessie retorts with a sigh.

"No," Katie says simply as she holds onto Jessie. "It'll work out. Don't worry," she says. _I'll do the worrying for us both. _She sighs heavily.

**__**

Manning Manor:

"Grace, can I talk to you really quick?" Katie asks softly as she walks into the house. Grace gives her a questioning look. "It's really important."

"Uh, okay. Let's go up to my room," she says, nodding her head toward the stairs. "Katie and I will be up in my room," she calls to her Lily.

"Grace, you're 23 years old, you don't need to tell me where you are at every minute of the day," Lily retorts with a grin and Grace snorts at her in reply.

They go up and Grace shuts the door. "What's on your mind?" She asks. "Is it about Jessie?" She asks trying to sound nonchalant.

"Yeah. It is actually," Katie admits softly.

"I knew it. What did she do this time?" Grace asks with a small frown on her face.

"Well, she and I were talking this morning. She brought up the subject of what we do at the end of the week. Now we don't know what's going to happen and she's really worried," Katie spews out in one breath.

"Oh, she thinks that your relationship will be over by the end of the week because she goes back to work and you go back to whatever it is that you do," Grace says, mostly to herself.

"Yeah. Exactly," Katie sighs as she flops down on Grace's bed. 

"Katie," Grace says soothingly, sitting down next to her. "The thing with Jessie is that when something good happens, she can never enjoy it because she'll be waiting for the other shoe to drop. You know how paranoid she is," she says.

"Yeah. I don't want her to think that this will be over again just as soon as it got started. I don't know what to do," Katie sighs again in frustration.

"So you came to me for advice?" Grace asks incredulously and Katie nods slowly. "That's funny. As I recall, last time I gave you advice, you and Jessie ended up not talking for a little over, what was it? Oh, yeah. Six years you spent not talking to one another. If you don't mind, I think I'll stay out of this one," Grace says, standing up.

"I just wish I knew what to do about Jessie," she groans.

"Don't worry. You're a smart girl, sometimes, you'll figure something out," Grace says trying to reassure her friend.

"Yeah. I'm think I'm going to go and try and figure something else. I mean, I've got a couple of days right? Jessie doesn't leave until Sunday. Plenty of time," she mumbles as she waves a goodbye to Grace.

"These are going to be the longest three days of our lives," Grace groans as she walks downstairs.

"What was that honey?" Lily asks as her mumbling daughter wanders into the kitchen. "Where's Katie?"

"Katie is off trying to solve a Jessie crisis and I am musing about how exciting **that **is going to be," Grace says as she rolls her eyes.

"A Jessie crisis so soon?" Lily smirks. "What's the problem?"

"Oh, nothing much. Jessie is just all upset that she and Katie will break up soon because they'll be so far from each other," Grace says as she sits down.

"What's Katie going to do?" Lily wonders.

"Who knows? I didn't want to suggest anything that could cause her even more problems," Grace shrugs. "Katie will figure something out. She has a couple of days to get a battle plan," she smirks.

"That's true. Are you going to help with dinner or do I have to beg?" Lily asks.

"Would it be wrong to ask you to beg?" Grace asks with an innocent grin and lily throws a towel at her.

"No Eli!" Jessie yells as she tries to walk away.

"Please. Pretty, pretty please," Eli begs, dropping to his knees. "If you tell me then I'll leave you alone for ever," he bargains.

"That is so sad. A grown man begging his little sister for something," Katie says fondly. "It's very endearing Eli. It's very cute," she smiles.

"Ha ha," Eli says, rolling his eyes at her before turning his attention back to his sister. "Jessie, come on. Tell me," he asks again as he stands up.

"No Eli! There's nothing to tell. Just leave me alone," Jessie huffs.

"What is Eli whining about Jess?" Karen asks, finally giving in to her curiosity.

Eli's face turns a bright crimson and Jessie smirks as she looks at him. "Eli wants me to give him tips in picking up chicks," she says, her irritation turning to amusement as she looks at her mortified brother. Karen and Katie burst into laughter.

"I didn't say it like that," he says, trying to recover his dignity and forge a sense of manliness after everyone stopped laughing.

tbc


	8. Getting Ready for Tonight

**__**

Early Friday Afternoon-December 27:

"Come on Katie," Jessie begs with a pout. Katie smiles and shakes her head. "You are such a tease," she grunts as she grumpily leans back on the couch cushions.

"You know you wouldn't have it any other way," Katie replies fondly and Jessie leans into her.

"Yeah, I know. But I still want you to tell me where you're going to do tonight," Jessie whines.

"Aww, that's too bad because I'm not going to," Katie smirks as she puts her arm over Jessie's shoulders.

"Butthead," Jessie mumbles as she leans into Katie.

"Yes, I suppose that I am," she agrees. "But, it's not like I can help it or anything," she says in defense of herself. "Besides, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of a surprise?" Jessie just groans in frustration and buries her head in Katie's shoulder and Katie lets out a soft chuckle.

**__**

Later That Afternoon:

"So Jess, Katie's kicked you out of your own house huh?" Grace teases with too much amusement for Jessie's taste.

Jessie raises an eyebrow. "Don't make me kick your ass," she warns and then she sighs. "Yeah. She did and even my mother sided with her and booted me out," she sighs. "Besides, why else would I come over here? Certainly not to see you," she says with mock distain.

"Oh, see, now why do you have to be so mean? What have I ever done to you Jess?" Grace wonders, feigning a hurt expression.

"Do you want me to answer? If you do, we might be here a while," Jessie declares.

"Good point," Grace relents with a shrug. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't know what she's been plotting either," she offers.

"Which I know is bull because you are now refusing to look me in the eyes," Jessie states with a smirk.

"How did you...argh. You and your stupid psych classes. Now I can't effectively lie to you anymore, even when it's for your own good," she pouts, crossing her arms.

"No, Grace. This is not a conspiracy against you and it has nothing to do with the classes that I take. You are just a horrible liar," Jessie smirks indignantly.

Grace's expression turns serious. "Why, of all things, did you want to be a psychiatrist?" She asks, genuinely interested.

Jessie sighs and her shoulders slump. "I think that Rosenfeld was an ass and I want a second opinion. What better second opinion than my own, right?" 

"Yeah. That way the opinion would be the exact one that you are looking for," Grace scoffs and a pause takes over them. "Jess, what happened up in the attic that day?" She asks.

Jessie is caught off guard by the shift in conversation. She sighs again and looks over at Grace. "It was stupid. I didn't want to go to that damned dance and she did. Yelling ensued and tears were shed. She told me that she loved me, then broke up with me," Jessie says, recalling the events none to fondly.

"Wow. So it was all over some dance?" Grace asks, trying to get the pieces together.

"No Grace it was not over 'some dance'!" Jessie yells, standing up to look down at her. "It was over something more than some stupid dance. It was over me being paranoid and stupid," she says while pacing. "The dance just symbolized my feelings for her I guess. I suppose that I just wasn't comfortable enough with them at the time. That's why we broke up," she concludes.

"Oh," Grace says simply. "I can't help but feel partially responsible for that," Jessie gives her a questioning expression. "I mean, I told Katie to give you that ultimatum," she mumbles.

"You did what?!" Jessie exclaims. "What the hell was going through that seriously demented head of yours?" She asks angrily.

"Look, how was I supposed to know that you would turn her down?" Grace retorts.

"Damn, this whole thing would've been avoided if you hadn't suggested that," Jessie says accusingly.

"How do you know? If she hadn't done that, it might've just prolonged the inevitable," Grace responds in her defense. "In fact, everyone would still be in the dark if we hadn't walked in on you and Katie two days ago," she says with a smirk.

Jessie opens her mouth to say something, but Lily walks into the room and Grace leaves. "Hey Jess," Lily says with shock. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you with Katie?" She asks, somewhat mischievously.

"Katie is planning something and she kicked me out of the house," she grumbles. "She said that she'd give me a call when she's about done."

Lily smiles fondly at her. "I'm glad you have Katie," she says to her.

Jessie raises an eyebrow. "You are?" She asks almost incredulously. "And why might that be?"

"You've been in a funk for, oh, about six years," Lily responds and Jessie glares at her. "All I'm saying is that I can tell she makes you happy and for that, I'm glad," she says with a soft smile.

"Yeah, well, she's also the one that put me in it," Jessie concedes.

"Oh? Do tell," Lily says as she takes a seat next to her on the couch.

Jessie looks at her and laughs softly. "Well..."

"So, how much longer until we're done torturing Jessie," Karen asks Katie lightheartedly. "I'm sure that she's already gone postal on Grace. The last thing I need is to be defending my own daughter in a court of law," she adds dramatically.

"Probably another ten or fifteen minutes," Katie responds with a grin. "Besides, I thought you were a public interest lawyer," she quips.

Karen glares at Katie. "The closest Rick ever came to taking me out to dinner after we were married was Pizza Hut," she grumbles. "So, what's the occasion?" Karen asks, earning a blank expression from Katie. "Why are you doing the whole 'romantic dinner' thing?" She elaborates.

Katie sighs in exasperation. "You know how paranoid Jessie gets sometimes?" Karen nods in agreement. "Well, she's worried that this, our relationship, will be over by the end of the holiday. Kind of like that this is Round Two of our relationship and eventually one of us is going to get KOed."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Karen asks in confusion.

"Sorry. Boxing terms. You've met my brothers," Katie quickly, and sheepishly, explains. "We started going out after she got out of the hospital, like, six years ago. We went out for a couple of weeks, but we had a few problems and broke up. I guess she thinks that the same thing will happen this time around," she pauses.

"Do **you** think it will?" Karen interjects.

"I hope not. But if Jessie thinks it will, then she won't even bother. Hence the 'KOed' thing: she thinks that one of us will give up on our relationship. It sure as hell won't be me," she says with a sigh.

"You know how Jessie is. Every time something good comes along, she waits around for the bottom to drop out. That's how it's always been. Something has always gone wrong and she thinks that the same thing will happen with you two," Karen spurts out in one breath.

"I'm not going to let anything happen," Katie says with determination. "I just wish that I knew what to do. She leaves in two days," she sighs again, losing some of her confidence.

"You'll figure something out, you are pretty smart...sometimes," Karen says.

"You're almost as bad as your daughter," Katie grumbles.

"I'm going to tell her you said that too," Karen teases. "I'm going to send the Wrath of Jessie your way."

"No! Not again," Katie jokes. "She knows how indecisive I am when it comes to getting dressed. How do I look?" She asks.[To save myself the headache, let's just say that she looks really good ;-)]

"Wow," Karen says with approval. "You look amazing."

"Oh, yayness!" Katie exclaims with glee. "I'm going to give her a call and tell her that she's allowed to come home now," she says with a grin as she darts to the phone in the kitchen.

"Now I feel really clueless," Lily says with self recrimination. "All that happened and no one even knew," she says with near disbelief.

"Yeah, imagine my shock," Jessie says with sarcasm. "Grace knew, I don't know what the issue with you guys was," she smiles.

"Grace knew?" Lily repeats with more surprise. Before she could continue, the phone rang. "Hello?...Oh, hey...Yeah...I'll tell her...Okay...Bye."

"Who was that?" Jessie asks.

"Katie, she says you can come on home now," Lily says.

"Yay for me. I'm going to kill her for keeping me in suspense like this," she looks at the dubious expression on Lily's face. "Maim her at the very least."

"Hey Jessie," Katie welcomes her as she opens the door to leave. "Bye Mrs. Sammler."

"Not so fast you two," Karen says sternly and Jessie quirks an eyebrow at her mother. "I want you both to be careful and-"

"Don't do anything you wouldn't do?" Jessie finishes and Karen nods. "Does that mean that we can't make out in the backseat of her car?" She asks with a grin and Katie blushes.

"Go," Karen sighs as she dismisses them with a wave of her hand. They smile and walk down to the car, waving goodbye. Katie gets in the driver's side and they drive off.

When they pull up to the restaurant, Jessie looks over at Katie. "I can't believe you remembered that I love Mexican. I think I mentioned it, like, once. I'm even more impressed that it isn't Taco Bell," she smirks.

"Well, I do try," Katie smirks as they walk up.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, I'm thinking that there will be two more chapters. Sorry this chapter took so long.


	9. Almost Gone

A/N: Okay, first of all, I know that it was shitty of me to wait so long to put this up. Second, I know that it's even worse that this chapter is so god awful short. However, there is only one chapter left.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They took their seats and ordered. All the while Katie couldn't tear her eyes off of Jessie.

"What?" Jessie asks while tucking her hair behind her ear self-consciously.

"Nothing. It's just that you're more beautiful than ever," Katie says sincerely.

Jessie blushes as she looks away shyly. "You're not so bad yourself," she says softly.

There's a brief lapse in conversation between them. "You have no idea how much I've missed you these last few years," Katie says while staring at Jessie with intensity.

"I think that I have some idea," Jessie smirks. She reaches across the table and entwines their fingers together. "These have been the shittiest six years ever without you," she says honestly.

"Yeah, I know. I just wish that things could have been different, you know?" Katie asks.

"Me too. There is so much that I wish I could have done differently. I thought that you would hate me, that's why I never came back," Jessie says solemnly. "I'll be right back," she says as she stands up.

"Where do you think you're going?" Katie asks playfully.

Jessie quirks an eyebrow. "The little girls room. Do you have problem with that?" She asks.

"If I say 'yes', would you hold it against me?" Katie asks sheepishly and Jessie smiles at her as she walks off. 

A couple minutes later, Jessie walks back to the table and stands in front of where Katie is seated. "You have fun?" Katie asks.

"Tons," comes Jessie's reply.

"What are you doing?" Katie asks, now noticing that Jessie hasn't sat down yet. Suddenly, a non-Mexican type music comes on. It's a song that Katie immediately recognizes. "'God Bless The Child'," she murmurs.

"I think that I owe you a dance," Jessie says as she takes Katie's hand. Katie stands up and can't keep the smile off of her face.

**__**

Late Saturday Morning:

Jessie slowly opened her eyes. She let her eyes adjust to the light seeping into her room before setting her focus on her…body pillow?

"Morning sleepyhead," Katie says with a smile.

"Hey," Jessie smiles back as she rests her head back against Katie's shoulder.

"We should probably be getting up now," Katie says with a smirk as she nods over towards Jessie's clock.

"You're probably right. I still have to pack and everything," Jessie sighs with a frown.

"Yeah, that's right, you're leaving tomorrow," Katie says, her good mood officially killed. **__**"I almost forgot about that."

"We'll be okay though, won't we?" Jessie asks uncertainly. 

"Of course you and I will be okay Jess. You couldn't get rid of me for anything" Katie says with a soft smile.

There is suddenly a light knocking on the door. "Come in," Jessie says to the person on the other side.

"Hey you guys," Karen says with a smile. "Are you going to get up or stay in bed all day?" She asks.

Jessie smirks. "Is this a trick question?" She asks causing Katie to blush.

"Come on you two," Karen says good-naturedly as she leaves the room.

**__**

Afternoon:

The Sammler-Manning offspring and Katie are all gathered at Manning Manor. "I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow morning Jess," Grace says.

"It feels like you just got here," Zoe agrees.

Jessie rolls her eyes. "It's not like I'm never coming back. You'll see me again," she replies with a smile.

"How long are you going to wait this time?" Eli asks slowly.

"I'm thinking only two years this time," Jessie replies and earns herself some strange expressions. "You guys really need to learn how to take a joke," she says while rolling her eyes.


	10. Time After Time

A/N: Please don't hate me. It was really wrong of me to leave you guys hanging for nearly three months. Circumstances beyond my control.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**__**

Sunday:

Jessie is driving down the freeway towards school. She sighs and turns on the radio, hoping to divert her attention away from the thoughts floating in her head.

__

Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick and think of you/ Caught up in circles, confusion is nothing new/ Flashback warm night, almost left behind/ Suitcase of memories…

Jessie's breath hitches as she looks at the radio.

**__**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Earlier That Morning~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jessie looks down at Katie sleeping and smiles sadly as she glances at the clock then at her bag by the door. 

Katie stirs in the bed and opens her eyes. She gains focus and smiles groggily at her. "Morning," she says with her voice thick with sleep.

"Morning," Jessie replies, trying to make it sound like she hadn't been crying.

Katie notices them anyways, then sees that Jessie is already dressed. "You're getting ready to leave now?" She asks, though it sounds more like a statement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jessie closes her eyes to get her breathing to return to normal.

__

Time after sometime you pictured me/ I'm walking to far ahead/ You're calling out to me/ _I can't hear what you've said/ You said: "Go slow, I fall behind"/ The second hand unwinds…_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

"It's a long drive. I still haven't said goodbye to everyone yet, still asleep I guess," Jessie chokes out, her eyes reddening.

"Jessie, do you have to leave?" Katie asks desperately as she sits up. She runs her hand through her hair. "I mean, we just…God, you know it's been five years," she says.

"I know, but I have school and you have work," she sighs. "I'll be back…I have a reason to come back now," Jessie smiles. She looks at the clock again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jessie looks ahead and sees a sign: **Now Leaving Illinois**. She keeps driving, her knuckles turning white from her tight grip. 

__

If you're lost you can look and you will find me/ Time after time/ If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting/ Time after time/ If you're lost you can look and you will find me/ Time after time/ If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting/ Time after time…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

Katie back and reaches for her hand. "And I'll be here, waiting," she says. "I'll always be here for you…not like I have somewhere else to be," she smirks.

Jessie shoves her. "That's funny, who said I was talking about you in the first place?" She grins.

"Ouch," Katie says, holding her hand to her chest in mock hurt.

There is a knock at the door. "Come in," they says in unison and Karen comes in.

She smiles at the. "Good morning," Karen says warmly. "Breakfast is ready," she informs them before going back downstairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

I turn, my picture fades/ And darkness has turned to gray/ Watching through windows/ You're wondering if I'm okay/ Secrets stolen from deep inside/ The drum beats out of time…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

"Hey Jess, are you alright?" Katie asks her.

Jessie turns her attention away from the window and smiles. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replies.

Katie quirks an eyebrow. "Jess," she begins slowly, "it has been my experience that when someone claims to be fine, they really aren't."

"This week has just gone too fast, you know what I mean?" Jessie asks curiously.

"Absolutely," Katie agrees. "Like you said though, we'll still see each other," she says comfortingly.

"Yeah, but not soon enough," Jessie sighs. She looks at Katie and sees a familiar expression and she narrows her eyes. "What are you up to?" She asks suspiciously.

"Nothing," Katie manages to say while maintaining a straight face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

If you're lost you can look and you will find me/ Time after time/ If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting/ Time after time/ You said: "Go slow, I fall behind"/ The second hand unwinds/ If you're lost you can look and you will find me/ Time after time/ If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting/ Time after time/ If you're lost you can look and you will find me/ Time after time/ If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting/ Time after time/ Time after time…till fade

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

"Bye Jess," Katie whispers into Jessie's ear when they hug goodbye.

"Bye Katie," she whispers back before pulling away. "Bye everyone," she says to the whole of the Manning- Sammler clan.

This is followed by a chorus of "Bye Jessie" and "Come back soon". Jessie smiles and gets into the car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jessie shuts off the radio and continues driving while wiping the tears away. She shakes her head in order to try and clear her mind.

**__**

Meanwhile: 

"Guys, come on. I'm going to miss my flight," Katie gripes as everyone tries to get in their last minutes goodbyes and best wishes.

"I still can't believe that you're doing this Singer," Grace smirks before hugging her.

Katie laughs and says, "Neither can I." She gabs her stuff. "Bye everyone."

**__**

Later That Night:

Jessie sighs with relief as she walks in the door. She drops her stuff by the door and makes her way to her room, taking off her traveling clothes as she moves to her room.

"It's about time. I've been waiting forever," a familiar voice calls from the living room. 

Jessie stops in her tracks and turns around, pulling her shirt back on in the process. "Katie?" She says with curious and hopeful enthusiasm. 

"Yeah," Katie says with a smile on her face as she hugs Jessie.

"Oh my god," she mumbles ass she leans in and kisses her. She slowly pulls away. "Wait, how did you get in here?" She asks suspiciously.

"Key over your door Jess?" She clicks her tongue. "Anyone could've gotten in," she smirks. 

Jessie lightly punches her in the arm, but then goes serious again. "Why did you come out here?" She asks hesitantly.

Katie raises an eyebrow. "You walked back into my life and I'll be damned if I let you do it again."

Jessie smiles. "So how long are you here for?" She asks.

With an exaggerated sigh, Katie says, "Well, that's up to you," she says. She goes serious again. "I didn't tell you, but yesterday I got a call from the New York Times and they accepted my application."

Jessie wraps her arms around Katie's waist with a mischievous smile. "So, when are you moving in?" She asks a grinning Katie as she pulls her towards the couch.

**__**

The End- Finally


End file.
